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a fantastic toy that will provide hours of fun for any child.

Playmobil is becoming a huge favourite alongside Lego in our house for my five year old son. The great thing is I can see this lasting for a few years yet especially having another little boy who is three. My eldest son has always been an outdoors adventure type of guy. He has a fantastic imagination which can from time to time wonder away with him. One thing he is fascinated with is his grandad's caravan, he loves how detailed it is and finds it a great mystery. So the Playmobil campervan seemed the perfect buy for my son. Also some Playmobil sets can be on the large side and living in small house space is a bit limited this was perfect.

If you are looking for detail you can't go wrong with this superb build by Playmobil. The campervan itself is built with lots of little quirky bits that will amaze you. It also comes with plenty of accessories to make any story your child makes up believable. Somehow they have managed to fit in so much just like the real thing.

*****The Campervan as a whole*****

The product comes in a decent size cardboard box partly assembled. It comes with an eight page instruction booklet and although the shell of the campervan is there, there are lot of what I call fiddly bits to attach. I would highly recommend you assemble before giving as a present! And give yourself at least half an hour to do so. There is plenty to attach together, steering wheel, wing mirrors, table, seats, lights, the wheels to the campervan and so much more. It is fiddly and at times because you are working with such a small item can get a bit annoying but the finish product is completely worth it.

The campervan is what I would call a modern day style in mainly a white colour with dark blue rim. The overall product measures roughly 32.5cms in length, 12cms in width and 14cms in height. It is a very compact piece. It has nice chucky black wheels that run smoothly over carpeted or wooden flooring. Although most of the time my son has this campervan stationary and in use he does from time to time shut it all up and move it around. It is a great size for him to push about and he enjoys parking it up next to his much smaller cars!

The overall look of the campervan is very stylish and very real life looking. The outside has like the inside been designed down to the very last detail. The back of the campervan also has a bike rack attached so you can attach the two bikes provided to it. There is even a number plate sticker to attach to the back of the vehicle. To gain access to the inside of the campervan you can do so by a few different ways. There is a small side door that opens which my son finds apart from chucking things in, pretty useless when in full play. The side door is within an actually panel that slides up and away from the campervan leaving a large section of the side of the campervan open. And then there is the roof that can be removed too. When my son is playing with the inside of the campervan and has his imagination in full flow he likes to remove the roof and side panel to gain better access to all the parts. Removing the side panel my son does find a little tricky as it is stiff so to avoid breakages he always asks for help when removing it.

*****What's Inside the Campervan*****

Starting at the front of the campervan there is a dashboard with a moveable steering wheel attached. There are two large seats for which mum and dad sit in nicely. These seats swivel all the way round so that they can face into the campervan. Above this area is where the smaller of the two double beds is positioned with a drop down television screen that can be viewed from the main area of the campervan. The rest of the inside is where my son's eye lit up at first sight. There is a yellow table that is attached to the wall. This can be slid down for a bed that is attached into the roof can be placed over it. The sliding of the table my son struggles with I have to admit it can be a little bit tricky to do myself but once you get the hang of it, it isn't too bad. Next to the table is a wonderful built in storage unit that consists of two small top drawers, a sliding out shelf to contain cups and plates in place and a large bottom drawer. Again these are fiddly pieces but it is something my son enjoys. Opposite the built in storage unit is a hob and sink with a moving grey tap. The sink has just enough room to wash a pot or two. Moving to the back of the campervan is my personal favourite and my son's too I think the bathroom. It is separated by a clear plastic sliding door. It is basically a wash room with a shower in one corner that slides out on string so you can wash the people down, a small sink with tap and a toilet in the other corner with a lift up lid. There is always a really cute plastic toilet roll attached to the wall that moves!

As I previously mentioned the campervan set isn't short on accessories but then I never find Playmobil sets are. Just a word of caution a lot of the accessories are very small so not suitable for younger children. Playmobil do have a recommended age range of four years plus which I would say is correct. The campervan comes with a family of four, the typical mum, dad, girl and boy. Along with this is a bike for each child, pots and pans, cutlery, food, ball, map, book and a picnic table and chairs. The picnic table and chairs are foldable and can be stored in the roof style box on the outside of the roof. The rest of the accessories can be stored inside the campervan. My son has found there are plenty of accessories to keep himself occupied.

*****Overall thoughts*****

On opening this presents my son was thrilled and instantly wanted to start playing with it. So we were thankful we had already assembled it! My son's imagination has been able to run wild with this toy. I can't express how much joy he has had out of it; he now wants the real thing! Playmobil have yet again excelled with this product as it provides endless play. My son is forever taking his Playmobil family on holiday and having picnic's outside the campervan. I personally love the attention to detail in this product but then why should I be surprised all the Playmobil sets we have comes across have fantastic detail. It's not only my son who enjoys playing with this campervan and I have to admit this is one toy I like to sit and play with my son with, does my enthusiasm show! This campervan is truly full of everything you could think off, there are a good variety of accessories included.

Although everything is on a miniature scale and parts are very fiddly to do the campervan is very well made and durable. My son has had this product for more than four months now and it is still all present and correct with no breakages. The actual campervan vehicle is quite strong and holds under relative force from my son.

Playmobil is widely available and as this model is relatively new (there was an older version of the campervan previously) it can be found in many high street store like Argos, Debenhams, TJ Hughes etc. It retails at £40 but can be currently purchased on Amazon or at Argos for £30 which I would highly recommend as a fantastic bargain you will not regret buying.

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Product Details

Model: Family camper / Age: 3-5 Years. / Get ready for a road trip with the Playmobil Family Camper 4859 . This fantastic toy motorhome has everything you need for a Playmobil family holiday. Its removable roof and sidewall give easy access to the foldable table and pivoting driver's seat inside, providing endless interactive fun. At 35cm it's got loads of space for the four minifigures , especially as all their gear can be stored in the roof . Why we love the Family Camper: A great size - 35cm long, 14cm wide and 15cm tall Lots of moving and detachable parts 2 x adult and 2 x children Playmobil minifigures Accessories include a table and chairs, bicycles, food and cutlery